I miss the old formality, the months or more of knowing someone's name before you saw the inside of their house, the years before you glimpsed the inner spaces of their life. It was like the slow build to the first kiss, which assured you--when it finally did happen--that it meant you had been chosen for that deeper level of sharing.

I don't know social media, beyond a year of two on FB 10+ years ago. I know it's not intrinsically evil, despite the uses it's been put to, but I cannot trust the instant intimacy it seems to offer.